Apparatus for removing lacing threads from shoe uppers



A ril 7,1942. I J. F A 2,278,435

APPARATUS FOR REMOVING LACING'THREADS FROM SHOE UPPERS .Filed Dec. 9, 1940 Patented Apr. 7, 1942 APPARATUS FOR REMOVING LAOING THREADS FROM SHOE UPPERS Joseph Fossa, Lynn, Mass., assignor to United Shoe .Machinery Corporation,

Flemington,

N. J a corporation of New Jersey Application December 9, 1940, Serial No. 369,243

13 Claims.

This invention relates to an apparatus for removing lacing threads from shoe uppers and is illustrated herein in connection with the removal of lacing threads prior to the removal of the last from a shoe.

In order to separate a shoe from a last it is necessary to sever first the lacing threads which connect oppositely disposed eyelets in the adjacent quarter portions of the shoe upper and which have been brought into tight engagement with the underlying tongue portion of the shoe upper against the cone of the last during the lasting operation. Hence, great care must. be exercised to prevent damaging or marking the shoe upper when severing the lacing threads. The severing and removing of lacing threads from shoe uppers heretofore has commonly been done by a manual operation. There has been no really satisfactory machinery for that purpose.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a simple, convenient, and effective apparatus for severing and removing lacing threads from shoe uppers.

In accordance with my invention the illustrated apparatus is provided with means to which a j shoe upper is manually presented and which not only guides the shoe upper but also seizes the lacing threads and presents them to a severing means after which .the threads are removed by the apparatus from the shoe upper.

In accordance with a feature of the invention a gage is provided to determine the size of an opening or throat leading to the thread seizing means so that the opening is of a suitable width to accommodate the lacing threads only.

In accordance with another feature of the in-' vention the apparatus is provided with a stripper to prevent any of the lacing threads from clogging the apparatus.

These and other features of the invention will readily be understood by one skilled in the art from the following description and the accom panying drawing, in which- Fig. 1 is a perspective view of part of a thread severing and removing apparatus, showing the position of a shoe during the severing and removing of the lacing threads;

Fig. 2 is a bottom view of the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 1

Fig. 3 is an inverted section on the of Fig. 2; r

Fig. 4 is a detail front View of the apparatus seen in the direction of the arrow IV in Fig. l; and

Fig. 5 is a detail side view of the apparatus.

' the disks by means of headed screws 28, the

The illustrated apparatus serves to'sever and remove lacing threads 2 passed through oppositely disposed eyelets in adjacent quarter portions of a shoe upper 4 mounted on a last 6 and comprises a carrier plate 8 (Fig. 1) integral with a downwardly extending cylindrical member ID. The cylindrical member It may be carried by a suitable support and is preferably inclined upwardly and forwardly in order to locate the oper ating instrumentalities in the most advantageous position for the reception of a shoe.

A shaft I2, the lower end of which is connected to a suitable driving means passes through the cylindrical member Ill so that the upper end of the shaft I2 projects beyond the cylindrical member. A washer I4 (Fig. 5) is secured to the shaft I2 near its upper end. Keyed to the reduced upper end of the shaft l2 above the washer I4 are two disks IE, IS spaced from each other by a small washer 22 (Fig. 3). The lower disk I8 engages a shoulder 25) on the shaft formed by the reduced upper end of the shaft and has only about half the thickness of the upper disk I 6. The edges of both disks are initially knurled and the knurled edges then ground to remove the burrs formed by the knurling operation in order to prevent severed lacing threads from clinging to the burrs and'consequently repeatedly being dragged around by the disks I6, I8 thus clogging the apparatus. A screw 24 holds the disks I6, I8 and the washer 22 in juxta-position with the disk l8 engaging the shoulder 20. The shaft I2 and the disks rotate at a speed of approximately 135 to 150 R. P. M.

Cooperating with the disks to effect a seizing of the lacingthreads is a block 26 (Fig. 1) provided with an approximately semi-circular recess 34, the margin of which extends partway around the periphery of the disks. The block 26 is secured to the plate 8 for adjustmentrelatively to spacing between the disks and the edge of the recess in the block being such that the disks tend frictionally to engage the threads and drag them along the narrow space between the disks and the block. At its forward end the block 26 has a guiding face 30 for engagement with the shoe upper 4 and a relatively narrow finger 32, the front edge of the finger being formed by an extension of the front edge of the block and the rear edge of the finger being formed by a substantially straight continuation of the semi-circular margin of the recess 34. The tip of the finger 32 is ball-shaped and extends slightly below the plane of the lower face of the disk I8, as shown in Fig. 4, so that it will pass below the strands of the lacing threads which lie on top of the quarters but above the strands lying on the tongue. Moreover, striking of the finger against the last lacing thread nearest to the upper edge of the shoe upper and normally not quite in alinement with the other threads due to the formation of the cone of the last is prevented thereby. The finger will pass smoothly below the upper strands of this lacing thread also. The ballshaped tip of the finger further serves to provide clearance for the main portion of the finger so that the tip will not bear too heavily on the severed threads and thus tend to counteract the action of the disks l6, l8 seeking to remove the severed threads from the shoe upper. The finger 32 contacts the edge of the shoe upper adjacent to one row of the eyelets. See Fig. 5. Preferably the forward end of the top of the block 26, comprising the upper surface of the finger 32, is beveled (Fig. 4) so that the finger may better enter between the two adjacent edges of the quarter portions of the shoe upper.

In order to sever the lacing threads, a knife 3'6 is provided somewhat rearwardly of the point at which the threads are first seized between the block and the disks l5, l8. The knife, which is removably mounted in a slot the block 26 and held in adjusted position by .a plate 38 secured to the block by a clamping screw, extends forwardly between the disks [Band l8, its point being located in a shallow recess 40 (Fig. 2) provided in the inner face of the finger 32. Since the disks grip each thread at opposite sides of the knife, the thread is drawn tautly across the cutting edge of the knife and completely severed.

In order to determine the size of the opening or throat between the finger 32 and the disks l6, l8 in accordance with the thickness of the lacing threads and to prevent any part of the shoe upper from accidentally contacting the disks and becoming damaged thereby, a gage 42 is provided adjacent to the disks opposite the finger 32. The gage is formed on an upward extension of a plate 44 adjustably secured to the plate 8 by av slot and screw connection 46 and is positioned as closely as possible to the point at which the threads are first seized by the disks and the block.

Somewhat rearwardly of the cutting knife 36 the lower edge face of the block 26 is undercut at 48 (Fig. 2) around the opening in the block adjacent to the lower disk l8. After passing the knife, the severed thread consequently is gripped only between the block 26 and the upper disk l6 and will be pulled automatically and effectively out of the shoe upper. Each thread is released as the portion of the disk l6 gripping it moves beyond the limits of the recess in the block 26, that is, free of the block, the threads falling into a suitable receptacle such as a sack hung below the apparatus. In order to prevent any severed threads, which may not drop from the disk l6 but continue to cling to the disk beyond the recess in the block 26, from being carried again through the space between the disks and the block and possibly clogging the apparatus, a stripper 50 is provided. The stripper is in the form of a coil spring surrounding the washer 22 with one end extending outwardly between the disks and engaging the edge of the gage 42 remote from the finger 32 (Fig. 2). Any threads which are carried along by the disk [6 are thus effectively removed from the machine upon engagement with the stripper (Fig. 1). The washer M, which is slightly smaller in diameter than the disk 18,

serves to prevent any of the larger threads from becoming wound about the shaft l2.

As will be apparent from the above, the shoe is presented to the apparatus in the manner shown in Fig. 1 and is moved along the guiding face 30, the tip of the finger 32 moving along the edge of the shoe upper adjacent to one row of the eyelets and below the upper strands of the lacings. The strands are seized successively by the disks l 6 and I8, dragged across the cutting edge of the knife 36, and severed, after which the severed threads are pulled out of the eyelets and fall into a suitable receptacle,

Having described my invention, What I claim as newand desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An apparatus for removing lacing threads from shoe uppers, having means for guiding a shoe upper and for engaging the lacing threads in said upper, means for severing the threads, and means cooperating with the guiding means for presenting the threads to the severing means and for removing the severed threads from the shoe upper.

2. An apparatus for removing lacing threads from shoe uppers, having means for guiding a shoe upper and for engaging the lacing threads in said upper, means for severing the threads, and rotary means cooperating with the guiding means frictionally to engage the threads to present them to the severing means and to remove the severed threads from the shoe upper.

3. An apparatus for removing lacing threads from shoe uppers, having stationary means for guiding a shoe upper and for progressively en gaging the lacing threads in said upper, means for severing the threads, and rotary means cooperating with the guiding means for seizing the threads to present them to the severing means and to remove the severed threads from the shoe upper,

4. An apparatus for removing lacing threads from shoe uppers, having a stationary block for guiding a shoe upper, 'a finger on the block for engaging the lacing threads in said upper, means for severing the threads, and means cooperating with the block for presenting the threads to the severing means and for removing the severed threads from the shoe upper.

5. An apparatus for removing lacing threads from shoe uppers, having means for guiding a shoe upper and for engaging the lacing threads in said upper, means for severing the threads, and knurled disks cooperating with the guiding I means for presenting the threads to the severing means and for removing the severed threads from the shoe upper.

6. An apparatus for removing lacing threads from shoe uppers, having a stationary block for guiding a shoe upper, a finger on the block for engaging the lacing threads in said upper, means for severing the threads, and knurled disks cooperating with the block for seizing the threads to present them to the severing means and to remove the severed threads from the shoe upper.

7. An apparatus for removing lacing threads from shoe uppers, having a block provided with a guiding face for engagement with a shoe upper, a finger on said block for engaging the lacing threads in said upper, a knife for severing the threads, a rotary shaft, spaced knurled disks on the shaft cooperating with a semi-circular recess in the block frictionally to engage the threads to present the threads to the cutting knife and to remove the severed threads from the shoe upper.

8. An apparatus for removing lacing threads from shoe uppers, having a block for guiding a shoe upper and for engaging the lacing threads in said upper, a knife for severing the threads, and a pair of rotary disks cooperating with the block to seize the threads and to present them to the knife, said block having an undercut face opposite one of the disks to release the threads from said disk rearwardly of the cutting knife.

9. An apparatus for removing lacing threads from shoe uppers, having means for guiding a shoe upper and for engaging the lacing threads in said upper, means for severing the threads, means cooperating with the guiding means for presenting the threads to the severing means and for removing the severed threads from the shoe upper, and means for varying the size of the opening between the thread engaging means and the thread presenting means.

10. An apparatus for removing lacing threads from shoe uppers, having a block for guiding a shoe upper and for engaging the lacing threads in said upper, means for severing the threads,

means cooperating with the block for seizing the threads to: present them to the severing means and to remove the severed threads from the shoe upper, and an adjustable gage for varying the size of the opening between the block and the thread presenting means in accordance with the thickness of the lacing threads.

11. An apparatus for removing lacing threads from shoe uppers, having a block for guiding a shoe upper, a finger on the block for engaging the lacing threads in said upper, a knife for severing the threads, rotating knurled disks cooperating with the block for presenting the threads to the cutting knife and for removing the severed threads from the shoe upper, and an adjustable gage for varying the size of the opening between the finger and the disks in accordance with the thickness of the lacing threads.

12. An apparatus for removing lacing threads from shoe uppers, having means for guiding a shoe upper and for engaging the lacing threads in said upper, means for severing the threads, means cooperating with the guiding means for presenting the threads to the severing means and for removing the severed threads from the shoe upper, and means for stripping the severed threads from the presenting means.

13. An apparatus for removing lacing threads from shoe uppers, having a block for guiding ashoe upper, a finger on the block for engaging the lacing threads in said upper, a knife for severing the threads, rotating knurled JdiSkS cooperating with the block for presenting the threads to the knife and for removing the severed threads from the shoe upper, a gage for varying the size of the opening between the finger and the disks in accordance with the thickness of the lacing threads, a washer arranged between the disks, and a finger on the washer for stripping the severed threads from the disks.

JOSEPH FOSSA. 

